More than 100 festively adorned boats will set sail in Mission Bay for the community’s highly anticipated annual holiday event, the Mission Bay Christmas Boat Parade of Lights.

Starting at 7 p.m., a procession of sparkling, holiday-themed vessels will cruise the bay for a show that can be seen from many surrounding areas, with the best viewing areas for the spectacle at Crown Point, Vacation Island, Riviera Shores or Fiesta Island.

At the conclusion of the parade, the night skies will alight with a firework display and illumination of the SeaWorld Skytower’s Tree of Lights at 9 p.m. The free, family-friendly show is put on by the Mission Bay Yacht Club, which emphasizes the non-commercial aspect of the spirited community event. For more information, call the Mission Bay Yacht Club office at (858) 488-0501 or visit www.mbyc.org.

What happend to the parade this year - it was a total bust! The started an hour early, at 6pm, and it seemed like there only about half the usual number of boats. I live on Sail Bay and have a party every year and most of my guests totally missed it! Plus, we saw lots of people walking/driving down to the bay to watch after it was over as well. I feel bad for all the families that drove down here to see it.